Britain is still a nation of polite people and fears that modern life is
making people ruder are a myth, according to experts.

Prof Jonathan Culpeper of Lancaster University said the notion that our language is becoming ever more impolite is down to no more than a clash of values between generations.

While younger people adopt a "let it all hang out" approach to language, traditionalists still prefer to "beat around the bush" and say things in a reserved and indirect way, leading some to take offence, he said.

Everyday language used centuries ago was much more plain and direct than it is today, he added, and would be considered unthinkable by modern standards.

"A thousand or so years ago in Old English, it was fine to use brusqueness which is jaw-dropping from our modern perspective," he explained.

"Our impression of a massive explosion in the use of impolite language is partly the panic reaction of those with more traditional values meeting new values which encourage more direct ways of expressing emotions and doing business."

Prof Culpeper analysed a wide range of writing from different eras and in various formats, all contained within the two-billion word Oxford English Corpus.

His research, which will be presented this week at the Economic and Social Research Council’s annual Festival of Social Science, also found that the word most commonly linked to offence was "patronising".

British people, in comparison with other nations, are especially sensitive to power hierarchies and will take offence at someone attempting to wield power or influence above their station, he explained.

"This means that while asking someone to do something in a normal way is not considered impolite when the speaker is in a position of power, for example a boss asking an employee to do something, even politely worded requests could be deemed to be rude if the speaker were in a position of very low power," he said.